Major League Baseball suspends New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez and other stars in drug investigation.

NEW York Yankees star slugger Alex Rodriguez was banned through to the end of the 2014 season Monday in the latest doping scandal to blacken baseball's image.

Rodriguez said he would appeal the punishment, while a dozen other players accepted 50-game suspensions from Major League Baseball over their links to the Biogenesis clinic in Florida.

The monster suspension is the culmination of a long-running investigation into the Biogenesis scandal by major League Baseball and comes as Australia deals with its own supplements probe which has focused on Essendon in the AFL and the Cronulla Sharks in the NRL.

The announcement ended weeks of speculation over the fate of Rodriguez, a three-time American League Most Valuable Player who baseball officials say used banned drugs including testosterone and human growth hormone and also tried to obstruct the Biogenesis probe.

"Rodriguez's discipline under the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program is based on his use and possession of numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing substances, including Testosterone and Human Growth Hormone, over the course of multiple years,'' MLB said in a statement.

Rodriguez's discipline under the Basic Agreement is for attempting to cover-up his violations of the Program by engaging in a course of conduct intended to obstruct and frustrate the Office of the Commissioner's investigation.

New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez is apparently holding out on accepting a 50-game drug suspension.

Rodriguez's suspension will take effect on Thursday. He was expected to be in a Yankees uniform for the first time this season on Monday night in Chicago after completing rehab from pre-season hip surgery and a quadriceps injury.

He can continue to play during his appeal, which is expected to be heard by arbitrator Fredric Horowitz.

Rodriguez, who in 2009 admitted to using steroids while with the Texas Rangers from 2001-2003, is slated to miss 211 regular-season games.

It's a potentially devastating sanction for a 38-year-old player, but not as damaging as the lifetime ban that MLB was reportedly considering.

However his appeal eventually turns out, Monday's punishment further shadows Rodriguez's achievements on the field, including a 2009 World Series title with the Yankees and 647 career home runs that put him fifth on Major League Baseball's all-time career list.

Cruz is a significant loss for the Rangers. He leads the club in home runs with 27 and runs batted in with 76.

The Tigers had already prepared for the loss of Peralta by acquiring Jose Iglesias from Boston last week.

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said the outcome of the Biogenesis investigation was proof of the effectiveness of the anti-doping policies, which have been toughened in recent years after complaints from US lawmakers.

The sweeping suspensions, based on evidence gathered in the investigation rather than on positive drug tests -- so-called non-analytical positives, are the most comprehensive doping sanctions imposed by a sport that has long struggled to get to grips with the issue.

Nelson Cruz #17 of the Texas Rangers.

Several stars have admitted to doping and such icons as US home run king Barry Bonds and pitching legend Roger Clemens escaped doping charges in court cases but only after their legacies were tainted.

"Despite the challenges this situation has created during a great season on the field, we pursued this matter because it was not only the right thing to do, but the only thing to do,'' Selig said of the probe, adding praise for the efforts of the players' union, which has often been at odds with the league over anti-doping procedures.

"As a social institution with enormous social responsibilities, Baseball must do everything it can to maintain integrity, fairness and a level playing field,'' Selig said. "We are committed to working together with players to reiterate that performance-enhancing drugs will not be tolerated in our game.''

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